It's getting so you can't even give birth in a hospital in some sections of Minnesota anymore. The Duluth News Tribune reports the Cook County North Shore Hospital in Grand Marais will close its obstetrics unit, joining Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital in announcing the closing of birthing facilities. According to one survey, the number of hospitals offering obstetrics facilities is down 23 percent, most of them in rural areas. It's not that women aren't having babies, it's that hospitals can't get insurance because of rules from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, specifically one requiring that emergency cesarean section must be available within 30 minutes.
